Divergent local and systemic antitumor response in primary uveal melanomas.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common cancer of the eye. The loss of chromosome 3 (M3) is associated with a high risk of metastases. M3 tumors are more infiltrated by T-lymphocytes than low-risk disomic-3 (D3) tumors, contrasting with other tumor types in which T cell infiltration correlates with better prognosis.

Fifty years devoted to anaerobes: historical, lessons, and highlights.

Renew interest and enthusiasm for anaerobes stem from both technological improvements (culture media, production of an adequate anaerobic atmosphere, identification methods) and greater awareness on the part of clinicians. Anaerobic infections were historically treated empirically, targeting the species known to be involved in each type of infection. Prevotella, fusobacteria, and Gram-positive cocci (GPAC) were considered responsible for infections above the diaphragm whereas for intra-abdominal infections, Bacteroides of the fragilis group (BFG), GPAC and clostridia were predominantly implicated.

[D-Nut, an experiment to better identify and prevent undernutrition in the elderly].

Approximately one in ten elderly people living at home is undernourished. Undernutrition is, among other things, a factor in loss of autonomy and hospitalization. If identified and treated early, it can be "cured".

Effector Memory-Expressing CD45RA (TEMRA) CD8 T Cells from Kidney Transplant Recipients Exhibit Enhanced Purinergic P2X4 Receptor-Dependent Proinflammatory and Migratory Responses.

Background: The mechanisms regulating CD8 T cell migration to nonlymphoid tissue during inflammation have not been fully elucidated, and the migratory properties of effector memory CD8 T cells that re-express CD45RA (TEMRA CD8 T cells) remain unclear, despite their roles in autoimmune diseases and allotransplant rejection.

Methods: We used single-cell proteomic profiling and functional testing of CD8 T cell subsets to characterize their effector functions and migratory properties in healthy volunteers and kidney transplant recipients with stable or humoral rejection.

Results: We showed that humoral rejection of a kidney allograft is associated with an accumulation of cytolytic TEMRA CD8 T cells in blood and kidney graft biopsies.

Correlation between antibiotic resistance and clinical outcome of anaerobic infections; mini-review.

In anaerobic infections, the relationship between clinical failure and antibiotic resistance is difficult to demonstrate, especially in mixed anaerobic-aerobic infections. Single isolates of anaerobes in cases of bacteraemia revealed that treatment failures were due to inappropriate therapy. We review here cases, where the empiric treatment was unsuccessful due to resistance of anaerobic bacteria to the administered agents and where the change of the antibiotic allowed the patients to be cured.

Relevance of Polymorphic KIR and HLA Class I Genes in NK-Cell-Based Immunotherapies for Adult Leukemic Patients.

Since the mid-1990s, the biology and functions of natural killer (NK) cells have been deeply investigated in healthy individuals and in people with diseases. These effector cells play a particularly crucial role after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) through their graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect, which is mainly mediated through polymorphic killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and their cognates, HLA class I ligands. In this review, we present how KIRs and HLA class I ligands modulate the structural formation and the functional education of NK cells.

Low number of KIR ligands in lymphoma patients favors a good rituximab-dependent NK cell response.

The antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) effector function of natural killer (NK) cells is one of the known mechanisms of action for rituximab-based anti-cancer immunotherapy. Inhibition of the ADCC function of NK cells through interactions between inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and HLA class I ligands is associated with resistance of cancers to rituximab. In this study, we deeply investigated the impact of KIR, HLA class I, and CD16 genotypes on rituximab-dependent NK cell responses in both an cellular model from healthy blood donors and rituximab-treated non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients.

Delayed Severe Hemolytic Transfusion Reaction During Pregnancy in a Woman with β-Thalassemia Intermediate: Successful Outcome After Eculizumab Administration.

BACKGROUND Delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions (DHTR) are life-threatening complications mostly triggered by red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in patients with hemoglobinopathy. CASE REPORT We present a case of DHTR and hyperhemolysis syndrome in a 39-year-old pregnant woman with a history of ß-thalassemia intermediate in whom the hemoglobin (Hb) level fell to 27 g/L after transfusion of 2 units of crossmatch-compatible packed RBCs. No allo- or auto-antibody formation was detected.

Centromeric KIR AA Individuals Harbor Particular KIR Alleles Conferring Beneficial NK Cell Features with Implications in Haplo-Identical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

We have recently shown a broad disparity of Natural Killer (NK) cell responses against leukemia highlighting good and bad responders resting on the Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) and HLA genetics. In this study, we deeply studied KIR2D allele expression, HLA-C recognition and functional effect on NK cells in 108 blood donors in combining high-resolution KIR allele typing and multicolor flow cytometry. The KIR2DL1*003 allotype is associated with centromeric (cen) AA motif and confers the highest NK cell frequency, expression level and strength of KIR/HLA-C interactions compared to the KIR2DL1*002 and KIR2DL1*004 allotypes respectively associated with cenAB and BB motifs.

Is the term "anti-anaerobic" still relevant?

For decades, the term "anti-anaerobic" has been commonly used to refer to antibiotics exhibiting activity against anaerobic bacteria, also designated as anaerobes. This term is used in various situations ranging from infections associated with well-identified pathogens like Clostridioides difficile, or Fusobacterium necrophorum in Lemierre's syndrome, that require specific antibiotic treatments to polymicrobial infections generally resulting from the decreased permeability of anatomical barriers (e.g.

Improvement of a disk diffusion method for antibiotic susceptibility testing of anaerobic bacteria. French recommendations revisited for 2020.

Unlabelled: The disk diffusion test is very popular but for anaerobes the main pitfalls arise from the significant variation of diameters for an individual MIC and the weak correlation observed between the MIC's values and diameters zone that generates many major and very major errors.

Aims Of The Study: without any change in the methodology and revisiting only new diameter breakpoints, we try to improve the previous French recommendations and therefore decrease number of errors by introducing recent EUCAST concepts such as ECOFF and ATU Zone.

Method: MIC determination by agar dilution was done on 100 anaerobes against 6 antibiotics.

Molecular basis of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS) resistance in Finegoldia magna clinical isolates.

Of 69 clinical isolates of Finegoldia magna tested, 36% presented high-level MICs of erythromycin (>256 μg/ml), harboring erm(A) (n = 20) or erm(B) (n=5). Of nine isolates exhibiting an inducible resistance phenotype to macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramins B, four (44%) were susceptible with a potential risk of treatment failure due to emergence of resistant mutants.

Reliability and criterion validity of the "Gyroscope" application of the iPod™ for measuring lumbar range of motion.

Background: Recent technologies, such as the iPod, are often equipped with an accelerometer and magnetometer, which, through software applications, can perform various inclinometric functions. These applications have the potential to measure and quantify range of motion (ROM).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the iPod "Gyroscope" application intra- and inter-rater reliability as well as its criterion validity in healthy participants lumbar ROM assessment.

Evidence of ritual breakage of a ground stone tool at the Late Natufian site of Hilazon Tachtit cave (12,000 years ago).

Destruction of valuables is a common behavior in human history. Ethnographic data show the polysemic, but fundamentally symbolic, nature of this act. Yet, research aimed at exploring symbolic destruction in prehistoric societies has underlined the difficulties in establishing unambiguous evidence for such behaviour.

Antibiotic susceptibility of probiotic strains: Is it reasonable to combine probiotics with antibiotics?

Objective: The main goal of this study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility of strains collected from marketed probiotics to antibiotics used to treat community-acquired infections.

Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 16 antibiotics were determined using a gradient strip (E test) or the agar dilution method for fidaxomicin.

Results: The probiotics demonstrated various antibiotic patterns.

The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools.

In recent years, the study of percussive, pounding and grinding tools has provided new insights into human evolution, more particularly regarding the development of technology enabling the processing and exploitation of plant resources. Some of these studies focus on early evidence for flour production, an activity frequently perceived as an important step in the evolution of plant exploitation. The present paper investigates plant food preparation in mobile hunter-gatherer societies from the Southern Levant.

Controlled delivery of a new broad spectrum antibacterial agent against colitis: In vitro and in vivo performance.

Coated pellets and mini-tablets were prepared containing a new broad spectrum antibacterial agent: CIN-102, a well-defined, synergistic blend of trans-cinnamaldehyde, trans-2-methoxycinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, linalool, β-caryophyllene, cineol and benzyl benzoate. The aim was to provide a new treatment method for colitis, especially for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients. Since the simple oral gavage of CIN-102 was not able to reduce the pathogenic bacteria involved in colitis (rat model), the drug was incorporated into multiparticulates.

Widespread implementation of EUCAST breakpoints for antibacterial susceptibility testing in Europe.

The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) was established to harmonise clinical antimicrobial breakpoints and to define breakpoints for new agents in Europe. Data from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) external quality assessment (EQA) exercises from 2009 to 2012, from the United Kingdom External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK NEQAS) from November 2009 to March 2013 and data collected by EUCAST through a questionnaire in the first quarter of 2013 were analysed to investigate implementation of EUCAST guidelines in Europe. A rapid change to use of EUCAST breakpoints was observed over time.

In vivo efficacy of microbiota-sensitive coatings for colon targeting: a promising tool for IBD therapy.

The first proof of concept in vivo for a new type of microbiota-sensitive film coatings allowing for colon targeting is presented. The efficacy of these polysaccharide barriers to optimize drug release for the treatment of inflammation is demonstrated in an experimental colitis model with Wister rats. 5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) pellets were prepared by extrusion-spheronization and coated with Nutriose:ethylcellulose (EC) 1:4 or peas starch:ethylcellulose 1:2 blends.

Anti-stress proteins produced by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron after nutrient starvation.

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron maybe one of the most adaptable intestinal bacteria due to its complex genome. Known to be an opportunistic pathogenic anaerobe, B. thetaiotaomicron has recently been described as a symbiont with anti-inflammatory properties.